Aloha marya,

"Samurai William The Englishman Who Opened the East " by Giles Milton is a true to life account of the first Englishman in Japan and a favorite. If you want history this is it.

A book in the same mode is Shogun which I have read three times but as you mention time is a factor

Enjoy your time in Kansai!

Aloha!

I enjoyed Clavell's Shogun MUCH more than I expected, and found it absorbing enough to pull me along much more rapidly than I expected for a book of its length. (But it was NOT a quick read!)

I'm also glad I read Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, even though (or perhaps in part because) my reactions to it were quite mixed.

Enjoy!

Hi Marya, There are so many good books written about Japan, by western writers and by Japanese writing in English or in translation. The one that keeps rising to the top of my memory is "Pictures From the Water Trade." Kind of a coming of age travel story. I'm not sure that it's still in print, though.

I'm also very fond of the short stories of Mary Yukari Waters.

Shogun is a good airplane book. The writing is, at times, painful and the historical facts, at times, questionable, but it's a great story and an undeniable page-turner.

After you've done some reading, come back and tell us what you liked.

Speaking of James Calvell and Shogun reminds me of a conversation with GPanda about our favorite authors the last time we saw each other. He was a lover of the classics and when Andy asked me who my favorite author was I mentioned James Clavell and particularly his stories about Asia which start with Shogun and intertwine and finally after Taipan, Noble House, King Rat, etc. ends up with Whirlwind in 1980's Iran.
Andy in typical Andy fashion of course scoffed at my mention of Clavell and bluntly told me that the Dogster had more writing talent in his index finger than Clavell ever dreamed of and was extremely passionate of that fact......I couldn't or wouldn't argue with his choice at that time. Andy really loved the Dog's writing and his lifestyle....called him exceptionally talented.....

Just something I will always think of when Clavell and Shogun is mentioned....

Aloha!

BTW the first time I read Shogun I devoured it in a week.

Hai Anjinsan!!

Hi Marya: There are a couple of classic books you might be interested in, if you haven't heard of or read these already. One is the tale of Genji, set in 11th Century Japan but published I think in the 1800s. The first book in Japan by a woman author. A long read but fascinating story of court intrigue and illicit love.

Another one is the 47 Ronin, about the sacrifice of former Samurai to avenge their master's death in the 1700s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_Ronin

Another one, written in modern times by the wife of the first Ambassador to Japan from the US, Haru Reishauer, is Samurai and Silk. It's the biography of her two grandparents, one who was a minister in the Meiji era, and the other who was the first silk trader from Japan to the US. An easy read and fascinating look at Japan at the very beginnings of their entry into the modern era.

http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Silk-Japanese-American-Heritage/dp/067478801X

This is so helpful and, ht, your anecdote about Andy's literary opinion of Clavell is priceless.

Marmot, kja & ht, you have given me precisely the perspective on SHOGUN that I sought. I am going to start SHOGUN forewarned by all of you (including Andy), and will either get swept up in the story or cast it aside in favor of Samurai William the Englishman's tale.

Kja, I too had mixed feelings about Golden's book but was glad to have read it. I also enjoyed the film version, particularly Michelle Yeoh's performance.

I have ordered these books through inter-library loan -- PICTURES FROM THE WATER TRADE is fortunately available that way. SAMURAI AND SILK is really calling to me.

Thank you for this treasure trove. I will indeed report back. It has been so nice to hear from the Indonesia set in these responses.

I recomend Geisha by Liza Dalby. It describes the history, customs, traditions, and lives of geisha, and her experience of becoming a geisha in the Pontocho hanamachi in Kyoto. The chapters cover different subjects, aspects of geisha life and history. You can read it cover to cover or you can bounce around between chapters - a good book for re-reading.

A very similar book is Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha. It covers a lot of the same ground as Dalby, but from a different, Gion, perspective. If you enjoyed reading and re-reading Dalby's book and want more then this could be next.

I should mention that her book Geisha reflects the fact that Liz Dalby is an anthropologist and it is educational. But she lived the life and it is entertaining and personal.

The Tale of Genji, mentioned above, is by some measures the world's first novel, and one of the greatest: http://www.taleofgenji.org/

Murusaki Shikibu is said to have begun writing it in August 1004 at Ishiyama-dera, which is north of Kyoto, south of Lake Biwa, and well worth a visit: http://www.taleofgenji.org/ishiyama.html

A good introduction to the Heian period is The World of the Shining Prince by Ivan Morris.

A must-read is The Wind-up Bird Chronicles, one of my all-time favorite novels, by Haruki Murakami, arguably Japan's greatest living writer. Surreal and unputdownable.

correction: Chronicle (singular)

I think I have James Clavell's "Shogun" for getting me started with my Japan obsession. It's the reason we included Japan on the itinerary of (gasp - a package tour) which included Taiwan and Hong Kong. In five days we visited Kyoto, Ise, Hakone, Tokyo and Nikko!

I wasn't sure if you meant fiction or non-fiction and how academic you wanted to get.

I second the recommendation of Haruki Murakami; I enjoyed Kafka by the Shore. Kazuo Ishiguro is another "An Artist of the Floating World."

Another book about the history and life of the geisha is "Geisha- the secret history of a vanishing world" by Lesley Downer. Lesley has written many books about Japan. here's her website

http://www.lesleydowner.com/books/

Another is by Lian Hearn. "Across the Nightingale Floor" is the first of a trilogy.

Then there are the works of Lafcadio Hearn.

My latest acquisition is a very old Penguin edition of "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon" - saving for the plane on my forthcoming trip.

Happy reading

This is a slightly different angle on your book list - but I would highly recommend the following two non-fiction books. "Tokyo Megacity" and "Traditional Japanese Architecture" by Ben Simmons with Donald Richie's text on the first book and Mira Locher on the second. Ben's photos are incredible and I have also enjoyed reading Donald Richie's other books on Japan. While the architecture book might look like a textbook on first glance - it is enlightening for anyone really interested in understanding the traditional building styles of Japan. Both books are a good addition to anyone's Japan bookshelf. From what I hear, Ben is working on a Kyoto book with Judith Clancy that will be out next year sometime.

Oh,good -- more thoughtful suggestions about what to read. My stack of books is growing as is my appetite for this reading. Even more suggestions welcome.

Meanwhile, the pot boils over and happily so. I am 200 pages into SHOGUN and periodically curse the writing as vigorously as Pilot Blackthorne cusses out the Spaniards, Portuguese, and Japanese, but I am completely swept up in the story and will definitely stay with it.

Arigato gozaimasu.

Just noticed that eigasuki mentioned Lesley Downer. She is the offer of the 2nd book that I recommended, Women ...

She apparently doesn't keep secrets very well.

offer -> author
And by "she", I mean Downer the author, not eigasuki the movie lover, who keeps secrets AFAIK.

This trip I'm taking "The Japanese Chronicles" by Nicolas Bouvier - a small paperback that looks very promising.

Tokyo Bay - Anthony Grey (he also wrote Saigon & Peking) - Similar in some ways to Shogun - well worth a read.

Amelie Nothomb's Fear and Trembling is a short and sweet choice. It's a novel about a French woman who heads to Japan, takes a job in a Japanese megacompany, and finds that the ways of corporate Japan can be a bit, well, challenging for someone who is neither Japanese nor middle-aged nor male.

I quite liked the Alain Corneau film adaptation of FEAR & TREMBLING. If you saw it and feel that it shortchanges the book in substantial ways, please let me know.

I recommend Pico Iyer, The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto. Iyer went to Kyoto to study in a monastery and gets comically entangled with the wife of a salaryman. Along the lines of The Roads to Sata, in that it's about a hapless foreigners adventures in Japan. Really well written; Iyer still writes about Japan, 20 years after the publication of this book.
Another really interesting older novel is The Broken Commandment by Toson Shimazaki, a member of the outcast burakumin. Written in 1906, it describes the attempts of a burakumin schoolteacher to hide his identity. Lots of insights into the older caste system in Japan, aspects of which still continue today. (Burakumin were considered defiled because of their contact with death; they slaughtered animals, tanned hides, etc.)

marya_, I got the book (Fear & Trembling) after having seen the movie. I enjoyed them both a great deal and thought that each stood on its own. Though I sometimes find it less than great to read the book after seeing the movie -- just too difficult to clear my mind of the actors' portrayals when reading the author's words.

Looks like you have plenty of suggestions to keep you busy. My favorite is Miyamoto Musashi by Eji Yoshikawa. It is often referred to as the Japanese "Gone with the Wind" and has many famous characters (many Japanese know the main characters by name). It has some great history, a Japanese style love story and it chronicles the life of Japan's most famous warior and his foes. Taiko, another other Epic novel by Yoshikawa is also awesome (this one about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous peasant turned leader of Japan from the 15th Century).

Thank you for keeping these suggestions streaming in. I am just coming down the home stretch with SHOGUN and then look forward to turning to the other titles recommended above.

Longtime lurker, I had to throw in my two cents about this subject.
Japanese Inn: A Reconstruction Of The Past by Oliver Statler, also his Shimoda Story.
For those who enjoyed Shogun check out the Musashi series by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Many thanks to those frequent posters here whose advice and information I have enjoyed.
Leaving for Japan in three weeks!

Very good:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2364971.The_Commoner

Hello! What a wonderful thread!!!! Probably not enough time to read all those exciting recommendations (and you're probably on your way to Japan already) but hope that you manage to pick up Peter Carey's Wrong About Japan: A Father's Journey With His Son (http://petercareybooks.com/Wrong-About-Japan) sometime for a funny yet intimate look at modern-day Tokyo through the eyes of a foreigner.

Enjoy your trip!! i can't wait to read some of these books myself =)

From a very quick scan, I don't think I saw any of Yukio Mishima's works. The ones I would recommend are THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA, THE SOUND OF WAVES, and SPRING SNOW (the first of a quartet, but I confess to never having the chance to complete it, but SPRING SNOW is a beautifully written--and translated--work). His novels capture a much earlier Japan.

What a delightful surprise to find some new ideas on this thread. I have been slowly working my way through earlier suggestions. So far, I have enjoyed PICTURES FROM THE WATER TRADE, SHOGUN, and I am finishing up one of Murakami's earlier books, THE WILD SHEEP CHASE. Thank you for keeping the recommendations flowing...

Thank you, jbeckstr, I am almost to the end of the 900 + page Taiko - I am very interested in that period of history - I saw the 2011 NHK Taiga - Atsu Hime - who was the daughter of Oichi, the sister of Oda Nobunaga - and when I was in Japan last November I was able to see a lot about their era in Nikko and Kyoto.

My recommendation is The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell - this is a historical novel about the Dutch on the island of Dejima in Nagasaki in the 1800's when that was the only place foreigners were allowed in Japan. When I was in Nagasaki this spring I was able to visit the Dejima recreation which was really magnificent after having read the book....

Check out Donald Keene's. He's an American scholar on everything Japanese, particularly their literature. Recently, he tried to obtain Japanese citizenship and had to jump through a lot of hoops!

The first time I traveled to Japan, I checked out one of his old paperbacks from my local public library, and loved it during the flight. It was like a collection of essays on Japanese literature, way of looking at life and art. Maybe it's out of print, but I don't recognize it on the list on Amazon. At that time, I loved the book so much that briefly contemplated of stealing it from the library. But no.

http://www.amazon.com/Donald-Keene/e/B000APTGAK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1#/ref=la_B000APTGAK_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB000APTGAK&ie=UTF8&qid=1343256522

I just read the chapter on Hokkaido in Hitch Hiking with Buddha--light reading, brusque travels, some humor--to pepare for my trip in October. I'd want something deeper and literary. Anyone have a good recommendation on books on Hokkaido? Thanks!

Here's his interview with the Financial Times last year:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9a0ebac8-00f5-11e1-8590-00144feabdc0.html#axzz21g5omjaR

His book on the Japanese Discovery of Europe (primarily via the traders at Dejima) is very interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Japanese-Discovery-Europe-1720-1830/dp/0804706697

marya, you must be back by now....how was your trip to Kansai?

Aloha!

Konnichiwa, HT and all:

No! We are still here. We arrived in late June and leave in mid-August. I am writing from my apartment in northern Osaka on the Hankyu line. While it is challenging because I don't speak Japanese, I love it here. Some highlights:

* spending an afternoon with my son (visiting briefly) at Nanzen-ji temple complex where we went up to the shrines in the hills and walked along the aqueduct

* Spending another afternoon with him at Fushimi Inari Taisha, hiking up to the top just before sunset and coming down with the lanterns were lit and the bats emerging

* seeing a 5 hour kabuki theater performance -- enchanting even though I didn't understand the language

* taking the Nozomi superexpress to Hiroshima for a day and exploring the Peace Park, Peace Museum, A Bomb Dome (no time for Miyajima alas)

* attending a Takarazuka performance with my daughter (who also visited briefly). We were the only non-Japanese on the train and in the theater.

* savoring a lazy okonomiyaki lunch with my daughter in the Shinbashi area of Gion, followed by taking a bus to Ginkaku-ji (fabulous) and walking south along the Philosopher's Path until we could no longer take the heat

* visiting the Toda-ji temple complex in Nara

* going to Kyoto on July 15 to see preparation of Gion Matsuri parade floats and experience the evening promenade with so many people out in traditional dress

* seeing the Tenjin Matsuri fireworks over an exquisite dinner in Osaka

* going to a Hanshin Tigers game at Koshien stadium -- one needn't like baseball to enjoy this

* going to a oublic bath in Arima Onsen with my daughter

* learning (somewhat) the train system and going everywhere on these oh-so-wonderful trains

* finding the extraordinary ethnology museum somewhat hidden away in Senri Expo Park

* learning (somewhat again) to use the appliances and accomodate to the customs of a Japanese apartment. I wish that I could bring the entiire bathroom, the rice cooker, and the strict slippers policy back home with me. Why do we wear street shoes in the house and use soap/shampoo in the combined tub/shower anyway?

* eating. Lots of sushi, tempura, udon, green tea icecream, red bean buns, okonomiyaki, soba, barbecue.

So much more, but that's a taste of what I have been lucky enough to enjoy. As everyone knows, it is very expensive here so one chooses as wisely as possible. Having an apartment where we can cook makes meals more affordable. I do feel that I am spending an inordinate amount of money on transit -- loading up my ICOCA card (stored value train card) -- every time I turn around. Everything is accessible by train though and the punctuality/great organization of the railway system spoil you for life.

What a treat it is to be in Japan.

Kon-nichiwa, marya, and thanks for that wonderful slice of what makes Japan such a special place.

Shinbashi is at the top of my favorites list: it must be the most pleasant city area that I've run across.

And maybe you can't bring all the appliances and fixtures back home with you, but many of them are available in the States. I have a Zojirushi rice cooker and a Toto in my condo.

If you're not already familiar with H-Mart, you'll almost surely want to become so when you get home: the store is filled with Japanese (and Korean) foods, as well as some hard goods. (In Boston, H-Mart is in Burlington, though I understand that a new store is planned for Central Square.)

And finally, here's a video of the Hanshin Tai-gahs fans singing the team's song (Rokko Oroshi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9CcpTA6L1E

Ohayou gozaimasu marya-san! Arigatou gozaimasu for the wonderful look at what are your special moments in Japan. I've always wanted to take in the Tennjin masturi and the magnificent fireworks show and didn't realize I could have seen bats at Fushimi Inari if only we had waited....It all sounds so great, really happy you are enjoying Japan with your family.

Yes, we have also installed the Toto in our bathroom and every house in HI comes equipped with a Hitachi,Sony rice cooker.

it may be too late for this but there are a few special train passes for the Kansai region available for tourists only which you can purchase in Kyoto to ease the constant feeding of that ICOCA card

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

Gambatte kudasai!!

Good to hear that you are having a wonderful trip marya_. Would like more info on your Arima Onsen experience.

I just spent nearly two hours crafting a reply but it has vanished without being posted after I previewed it. Sorry. Fodor's editors -- can we find anything under my name?!

oh no marya, so sorry to hear that. I hate when that happens. Would have loved to have read about your adventures but the main thing is to enjoy the rest of your stay.

Aloha!

Thanks, HT. I was hoping that it could be found before I started over because it was THERE in the preview section and then poof. Oh well, maybe there was too much information and you all would prefer a scaled-back vsion.

Before I attempt that, today's Japan news from me is again delighted and happy. We were awoken at 5:45 a.m. by a phone call from our 22 yo. son who had just summited Mt. Fuji and toured the perimeter. (He arrived at the summit at 4:20, shortly before the sunrise which is apparently now sometime adter 4:30.) He had had a beautiful full moon and a gorgeous sunrise. He reported with great happiness that the view was exquisite and unlike anything he had ever experienced. "Mom, I can see the Pacific Ocean. "

I am eager to see him when he returns later today. He goes back to the states tomorrow, quite in love with Japan, I imagine. A priority will be getting the cherished Fuji stick with its 7 stamps back to Boston. In order to make this trip feasible, he came over on the cheapest possible fare involving 3 different flights. Did you know that you can fly from BOS to KIX via Detroit?

Yesterday's vanished report started with a nod and a thank you to Don whose comparison of Shinbashi, Kyoto, to Boston's Louisburg Square in a past Fodor's report first led me to seek Shinbashi out last Fall when we came to Kansai. Thanks to Don, I have a new favorite spot. My daughter and I arrived there on a sleepy Monday morning in time to see a group of (friendly) Maiko being photographed by the bridge and shrine. Then my daughter and I went into one of the restaurants right by the bridge where we were the only customers for most of our scrumptious okonomiyaki lunch followed by a big bowl of green tea shaved ice and red bean sauce. Fortified, we went north along the river and found a bus to the gorgeous Ginkakuji which prolonged the magic. We then walked south along the Philosopher's Trail until we could no longer manage the heat.

I also thanked HT for introducing me to Hyperdia, an uterrly indispensable research and planning tool. Can't live without it. There was lots more about trains that I won't try to replicate, but thanks for the link to passes, HT. I hope to use it for a future trip (may there be one).

I am going to post this much (I hope) and then come back and talk about Arima Onsen for Mrwunrful. I doubt that our low-budget daytrip there will prove very instructive to anyone, but who knows?

Mrwunrfl,

My 24 yo daughter and I took a daytrip from northern Osaka to Arima Onsen. We traveled on a variety of railways and subways through Kobe to Arima Guchi and eventually Arima Onsen. I think that there were about 5 or 6 transfers, so the pace was fairly brisk. Our schedule that day did not permit including a Mt. Rokko cable car ride although I bet that would have been fun.

We arrived at Arima Onsen and wandered up the hill a bit to the tourist office where we picked up a map. We kept meandering until we found The Gin no Yu public bath. We had selected that bath over the other public bath (Kin no Yu) purely on the basis of what the Rough Guide said about it.

Alas, the much vaunted skylight with light gorgeously streaming in and a "mesmerixing" ambiance was nowhere in evidence and the bath was much smaller than I somehow expected, but we did have a delightful cultural experience.

The Rough Guide notwithstanding, the bath is not really set up to accomodate folks who don't speak Japanese so that was part of the fun. We checked our shoes, paid the admission fee (550 ¥ pp), and used our knowledge of basic Chinese kanji to enter the correct (women's) bath. Although we had studied up in advance on proper, hygienic practice and thought we knev the drill, we did stumble a bit at first. We got inside only to discover that there were no towels available at that point. The issue isn't modesty -- you need a towel to dry off afterwards and one of the only English signs sternly admonishes you not to "dry off you body with the (electric) hand dryer." My daughter went back out and either bougt or rented some little towels for another charge. We also never figured out the system for what went in the plastic bins in the dressing room and what went in the lockers, but we did our best to copy the locals -- mostly women in their 40s to 70s, I gather. It was a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

After exiting the bath, one can relax a bit in an antechamber with vending machines, local newspapers, and massage chairs and foot massage machines. We sampled one of each treatment at 100 ¥ a pop. Then we headed out to window-shop a restaurant for lunch. I cannot recommend the little sushi place we selected -- a somewhat grim and downmarket mom--and-pop kind of place that I think may do a better bar and televised sports trade later in the day-- and I can't even remember what motivated us to choose it. Hunger maybe and a misguided judgment based on seeming curb appeal. Our sushi and tea were okay, but just that.

We then wandered some more around town, poking our head in wherever we liked and following alleys. The highlight of that part of the day was finding a little gallery with a photo exhibit of people from many countries all over the world holding canisteers of local "wind" together with a display shelf of said canisters. The exhibit had an earnest and disarming "We are all one world" quality that appealed to our scrubbed and sushi-ed selves.

We finished up the visit by sitting awhile in the town's (free) outdoor communal foot bath, smiling and nodding at everyone else alongside us. We then reversed the train journey back to Osaka. We were the only westerners we saw that July Friday and we enjoyed the day in a way that my turgid prose doesn't capture. What I would do differently is, as you have already surmised, is pick a better restaurant.

I know that there are beautiful high-end ryokans in Arima Onsen. I would love to hear of anyone else's experience of such a splurge at this venerable old hot spring.